MOTHER (a Psycho fan film by Chris .R. Notarile)

Ten years after the horrific events at the Bates Motel, Norman wakes up inside a mental asylum with no memory of how he got there. Now, in order to get out, Norman must confront his worst nightmare, his mother!

A WORD FROM CHRIS

MOTHER was a suggestion from a close friend of mine. I love Psycho, but I never thought I would be able to pull it off as you usually need a motel and a house on a hill. But when I was suggested setting the whole thing inside a mental hospital, it kind of all came together.

I immediately knew I wanted to have a therapy session where Norman has to face his mother. It was a simple enough setting and definitely within my capabilities.

I joined forces with my good friend Aaron Toft, owner of Urban Riot Studios, and together we created the "interrogation room" set. It was really awesome being able to film in such a well controlled location.

Casting was probably the biggest undertaking. I had previously worked with Debra Lamb on my original short, Frenzy 3, and I had no doubt about casting her as the visual manifestation of Norman's "mother" persona. Yes Norma Bates has been portrayed by Olivia Hussey in Psycho IV, but this wasn't the real Norma. This was "mother". And I think that "mother" looks a lot different than the actual Mrs. Bates.

Finding the perfect Norman was definitely the toughest challenge. I had to find a rail thin actor, who bared a vague resemblance to Anthony Perkins, who also had decent acting chops. Per usual, I scoured the internet and eventually stumbled onto Chris Bostrom. And lucky me, not only did he physically fit the bill, but he also was a good actor as well..... AND a huge fan of Psycho.

I decided to set this story as a halfway point between the 1960 original film and the 1982 sequel. I love both films, but we never actually see how Norman gets healthy enough to be released from the insane asylum. So my goal was to specifically show that.

MOTHER is pretty much my interstitial chapter in the Psycho franchise and a love letter to the seminal classic.